Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Wellesley celebrated the class of 2023, its 145th graduating class. Jocelyn Benson ’99, a fierce advocate for voting rights who currently serves as Michigan’s secretary of state, delivered the commencement address.

For a captioned version of commencement, see the live recording of the event:
youtube.com/live/3xjnaFafwiA.

00:00 - Opening
00:06 - Procession
06:24 - President Johnson Introduces Dean Jaqueline Marquez
06:40 - Invocation and Land Acknowledgement
10:33 - President Johnson Welcome
16:29 - Class of 2023 Co-Presidents Introduce Student Speaker
21:13 - Student Speaker Charlize Chen
29:33 - President Johnson Names Pinanski Prize Recipients
38:06 - President Johnson Names New Appointments and Endowed Chairs
40:14 - President Johnson Names Retiring Faculty
42:06 - President Johnson Introduces Commencement Speaker
45:33 - Commencement Speaker Jocelyn Benson
1:05:04 - President Johnson Addresses the Senior Class
1:18:28 - Provost Shennan Presents Bachelor of Arts and President Johnson Confers
1:19:55 - Students Called to Stage for Degrees
2:13:47 - America the Beautiful
2:17:08 - Benediction